


Dreams of an Absolution

by AppleCiderr



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alchemy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Apprenticeship, Automail, BAMF Natsu Dragneel, Depression, Education, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone is Dead, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Limbs, Medical, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Natsu Needs a Hug, Natsu Whump, Nobody is Dead, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Tenroujima Arc, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Presumed Dead, Prosthetics, Psychological Trauma, Sad, Science, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Self-Blame, Self-Hatred, Survivor Guilt, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death, Tenroujima Arc, Trauma, What-If, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-09-05 00:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16800394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleCiderr/pseuds/AppleCiderr
Summary: To save his friends, Natsu sacrifices himself on Tenrou, and is blown into the ocean before Tenrou vanished. He wakes up far away from Fiore, rescued by an old women who is filled with surprises. Natsu is ashamed of himself, believing he failed at saving his friends from their deaths.Because of this, Natsu decides to stay with the old woman, to learn everything she has to teach him and prove to this strange country that anything is possible. He becomes a citizen of this society, a part of their world. But then she dies, and Natsu takes over her responsibilities. When Tenrou returns, what will Natsu decide to do? Where does he truly belong?





	1. Chapter 1

_ So many things had happened at once that day, Natsu could barely remember what happened. He remembered the fight, Acnologia showing up and together, all of them ready to fight. But Acnologia had been about to attack them all, Natsu saw the energy gathering in his mouth, right in front of all his friends.  _

_No.. He couldn’t let this happen!_

_  
_

_ Nastu ran, and slammed himself into them, pushing them out of the way. Then, the light blinded him, and he screamed. The pain enveloped him, he felt himself tearing apart. He could hear people, screaming in horror. He could hear Lucy, Happy, Erza, everyone screaming his name. _

_NATSU!!!”_

_  
_

_Suddenly, there was nothing under his feet, the pain became too intense, and everything went black._

_  
_

\-- -- -- -- -- -- 

Natsu awoke with a start, a gasp escaping his throat, and eyes snapping open. His panic faded instantly though, as he felt… Perfectly fine. 

Instead of the traumatizing pain he still vividly remembered, he felt numb. Instead of the overwhelming heat of Acnologia’s blast, it was actually rather cold.  _ What’s going on?  _ He wondered.  _ Are we back at Fairy Tail?  _

The dragonslayer tried to look around everything was blurry, so much so that he couldn’t make out a single detail. He quickly tried to bring his hands up and rub his eyes, only to freeze at a strange feeling. 

Actually, it was more about what he  _ didn’t  _ feel.

Natsu’s heartbeat began to pick up as he guided his left hand to the other side of his chest, feeling up and down. A strangled noise of shock breaking through him. His right arm… It was gone. Completely gone. 

Panic exploded through him, and he quickly tried to jump off the bed he was in. But the second he stood, he fell.  _ Why can’t I stand up!?  _

His question was answered the second he looked down, and saw that his left leg was also completely gone. 

All questions vanished, only horror remained. Memories flooded back no matter how hard he tried to keep them away. 

Natsu couldn’t help it, he screamed. 

Seconds after he began to scream, a door slammed open. Natsu’s olive eyes flickered over, catching sight of someone wearing a metal mask with yellow, glowing eyes. They quickly rushed forward, reaching out for Natsu with gloved hands. 

“No!” Natsu yelled, scooting back as best he could, only the crash onto the floor once more. “Stay away from me! Or I’ll… I’ll burn you alive!”

The figure leaned back, and then burst out laughing. Their voice was much… higher than Natsu was prepared for. It cut off his panic, and filled the empty spot with confusion. 

“Young man, I think you’re in no shape to be making treats like that!” The high voice said as one of those gloved hands reaches up, yanking off the metal mask and placing it on the dresser. 

Whatever Natsu had been expecting, the person behind the mask was not it. It was an old woman, with long gray hair that still had a hint of blue in it, steel blue eyes, and a pale face. 

The dragonslayer frowned, tilting his head to the side. He opened his mouth, trying to process the sensory overload he had been hit with. He couldn’t figure out anything to say.

The woman smiled gently, and quickly headed over. “Okay,” She said,”Let’s get you back on the bed, and I’ll check you over once more.”

She was surprisingly strong, helping Natsu hobble back over to the bed. Once he was sitting up on it, he finally found his voice. 

“Who are you?” He asked,”How did I get here?” 

The woman knelt down, picking up a box by the bed and placing it on the bed. “I’m Ayame, and I brought you here,” She explained. 

Natsu frowned.  _ Straight to the point, aren’t you?  _ He thought, and then looked back down at his missing limbs. He swallowed the lump in his throat, nervously asking,”What happened to me?”

“I was actually hoping  _ you  _ could answer that for me,” Ayame said,”I found you floating in the middle of the ocean, nothing and nobody in sight.” 

The dragonslayer tensed up, the memories flashing by him once more. His face went green, and his remaining limbs began to shake. 

“I… I was on Tenrou.. Acnologia attacked.. It hurt so,  _ so  _ bad,” He croaked,”And now… I’m here…” 

“Tenrou?” Ayame repeated, eyes widening. “But Tenrou…” 

Natsu quickly forgot about his missing limbs, mind jumping to thinking about his guild members. “What? What!? But Tenrou what!?” He demanded, leaning forward,”Did they get out?! Are they safe!?” 

Ayame frowned, and quickly said,”I think it’s better that you rest before I tell you.”

“NO!” Natsu snapped,”Tell me now! I have to know! I have to know!  _ PLEASE!! _ ”

The woman sighed, dropping her hands to her side. “Although we are not in Fiore, word traveled pretty quickly about the island that fell under Acnologia's wrath. I’m sorry… The island was destroyed… Nobody made it.”

The world suddenly went cold, even Natsu’s own internal flame was snuffed out. The tears welled up in his eyes, shaking his head frantically. “No.. No!” He croaked,”It can’t be! They can’t be dead!”

But he could see the sadness and grim truth in the woman’s eyes. His heart shattered into millions of pieces, and he buried his face in his hands; Breaking into loud, heart wrenching sobs.

Ayame didn’t say anything else; she merely moved forward, pulling Natsu into a hug and rubbed his back. “It’s alright,” She whispered,”It’s okay, just let it all out.”

And Natsu did, screaming and crying for everyone to hear, desperately hoping someone could answer his internal questions.  _ Why? Why did I have to fail you!? Why couldn’t I save you!?  _

In the end, only thing that Natsu was sure about was he truly had no idea what he was going to do now…

\-- -- -- -- -- --

About a week had gone by, but Natsu barely noticed. All that remained on his mind was the thought of his failure, his guild’s horrible death, and his own horrific injuries. He couldn’t even sleep, he had too many nightmares of their screaming faces. Any time he wasn’t asleep, he’d merely stare at the wall.

Ayame tried to speak to him, to bring him food and make him eat; He always refused, he didn’t want to eat. He wanted to fade away and die, he wanted to be with his family.

Ayame seemed to realize this too; After a week, she decided enough was enough.

It started off as a normal day. Natsu was sitting up, staring at the blanket, and she brought in a tray of food. “Natsu, I have some breakfast,” She softly said,”So, will you please eat it this time?”   
  


Natsu closed his eyes, and shook his head. He heard the woman sigh, a loud, frustrated noise. Usually, she would try and convince him for a few more minutes and then leave. This time, however, was different.

The tray was slammed down so hard that Natsu jumped at the noise and turned to look over at the woman. Her normal blue eyes were even more ice-like than usual, and her face was red with anger.

She pointed at him, and yelled,”Listen to me, and listen right now! You need to stop acting like this! It’s pathetic, and it’s not who you really are! Where’s that fire I saw when you first saw me, even knowing your situation?”   
  


“It died with my guild,” Natsu hissed back, feeling frusterated by her persistence. “Besides, why should you care? Just let me die.”

He looked back to the wall, and Ayame went silent. The tension was thick for several long, painful seconds, and then a soft voice asked,”Is that what your guild would want?”   
  


Natsu’s eyes widened, and he whipped back around to face her. “What?” He croaked, his voice like sandpaper against his throat.

Ayame stared down at him, arms crossed. “Your guild, would they want you to die?” She asked,”If they’re watching over you from the afterlife, do you think they would be happy with the way you’re acting?”

Natsu thought about it for a moment, a smile involuntarily coming onto his face.  _ Erza and Lucy would probably kill me a second time, Gray would sucker punch me, and Gramps-  _ He gasped.  _ He’s probably really disappointed in me right now… _

The dragonslayer felt his eyes burn again, and quickly wiped away the tears. “You’re right…” He admitted,”They would hate seeing me like this…”

“Exactly,” Ayame agreed with a firm nod. “Natsu, they wouldn’t want you to give up, they’d want you to live and keep moving forward! Not just for them, but yourself!”

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the tears. Ayame took her thumb, gently wiping them away, and taking his hand in hers. “It’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to mourn them, but you can’t let what happened stop you from living. You can’t let the past control you.”

Natsu sniffled, nodding in agreement. “I know that, I do… But… How can I do anything when I’m like this?” He croaked sadly, motioning to his other side.

Her face suddenly brightened, as if she had been waiting for him to ask something like that. “That’s where I come in!” She declared, hurrying out of the room. “Don’t go anywhere!”

I’m pretty sure you don’t have to worry about that! Natsu sarcastically remarked to himself, listening to Ayame rummage through what sounded like a desk. He heard several things clang or crash onto the ground before she released a triumphant noise. 

She returned holding what looked like a large bundle of cloth; When she placed it down on his lap, he realized that it was much heavier than cloth. There was something inside it.

Natsu reached his hand out, pulling the cloth away, and revealing an arm made out of metal underneath it. He slowly ran his hand down it, marveling at how pristine it looked. Then, he reached the limp hand. 

He didn’t really know why, but he placed his real hand against the metal one. Then it hit him, they were the same size. It wasn’t just a project Ayame had left lying around, she had made it for him. 

“You made this… For me?” He whispered in awe, turning his wide eyes back to the older woman. There was a small smile on her face, and then she nodded in confirmation. The dragonslayer felt like the waterworks were about to start again, so he quickly continued,”Thank you, thank you so much.”

Ayame nodded again, and said,”We can put the arm on soon, and then I want to start looking at making a leg. Shouldn’t be too hard, I already have blueprints.”

Natsu almost couldn’t believe his ears. This woman was giving him so much, helping him in ways nobody had, and he didn’t have any idea why she wanted to. His heart finally felt warm again, after going cold for the past week. He knew, he had to do something, he had to help her too, he had to return the favor.

“Can I help you make it?” He asked, watching her look back towards him in what looked like surprise. He blushed, and quickly added,”I mean, you said it shouldn’t be too hard, and you’ve already done so much for me. I’ll have that arm you made me, surely I can be a little bit of help?”

Ayame tilted her head, her eyes seeming to stare into the center of his entire being. Then, she softly asked,”Why do you want to help?”

The words came to his tongue before he could stop himself, and he replied,”Why does anyone do anything?”

The older woman looked surprised by his words; Then, a smile came over her face and her eyes filled with joy, a lot of joy. In fact, she looked as if she had just found the solution to her life’s problems. “You know what, Natsu, I think I would enjoy that very much,” She declared.

Natsu’s face split into his own wide grin, the fire within him brimming with excitement. He couldn’t wait to help his rescuer, and see just what they would create. 

Little did Natsu Dragneel know, his small request was the starting point of something much, much bigger.


	2. Chapter 2

Ayame didn’t automatically start working on the metal leg, nor did she attach Natsu’s new arm right away. Firstly, she wanted Natsu to gain the bit of weight he lost back so that the arm would fit right. She also claimed that the reason she didn’t just start working on it without Natsu’s help was because the design needed a few tweaks. 

Ayame was lying, Natsu knew because he had managed to peek at the design she drew out; It had ‘final’ written on it After a few ponderous minutes, he realized that her real reason; she probably wasn’t starting because she was waiting for him. This only made him appreciate her even more, but he didn’t dare ask her about it, she wouldn’t tell him the truth.

That didn’t mean that Natsu was able to lounge around, though; Ayame still had plenty for them to do. 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Merely an hour after she agreed to Natsu’s request to help her, she walked back into his room carrying a set of large, thick books and dropped them onto his bed, making the mattress groan at the weight. 

Natsu frowned, looking at them closer. The covers and bindings were obviously worn out but the pages seemed to be in very good shape. 

He turned his head to look at Ayame. “What are these for?”

“To read,” Ayame bluntly responded,”If you’re going to be working with me, I want you to understand the material.”

_ That does make sense…  _ Natsu admitted, opening the first book to see what they would be looking at. Instantly, a headache overcame his senses, so many numbers and formulas invading his vision. He quickly shut the book again.

The dragonslayer turned towards Ayame, who hadn’t moved from her spot. “Math?” He forced out,”I have to read about all this stuff?”

“You wanted to help me, didn’t you?” Ayame asked innocently, blinking her steel blue eyes towards him.

Natsu sighed, nodding in admittance. “I did,” He replied,”But… I didn’t know it would be all of…  _ This!  _ Ayame, you have to know that I’m an idiot, I’ve never been good at this stuff.”

Ayame’s calm face quickly was replaced by an angered one. “Why in the world would you call yourself such a thing?” She hissed.

“‘Cuz it’s what I am, I’ve been called that many, many times,” He answered, as if it was the easiest thing to understand. “Plus I don’t understand a single word on that page!”

The woman paced a few times, and then went to his bedside, firmly pointing at the book. “Answer me right now. Have you been taught it and didn’t understand it, or did you never get taught this stuff?” She asked.

Natsu gave a half-shrug. “I never learned, I was raised in the woods, Lev-“ Natsu choked. “M-my friend was really good at this stuff, but I never could understand…”

Ayame’s frown only seemed to deepen. “Of course you couldn’t Natsu,” She bluntly said,”But that’s not because you’re an ‘idiot’, it’s because nobody ever took the time to help you understand.”   
  


The dragonslayer was about to disagree with her, but he took a moment to recall what she said. He dug through his memories, searching for the moments when he was given an explanation for any kind of math; the most he could recall was learning basic counting and how to count money. “You know what… You’re right!” He exclaimed.

“I always am,” Ayame smugly replied,”But don’t worry, I’ll be the one to make sure you understand every single concept we talk about! Now, scoot over. We’ll start with basic algebra.”

Natsu made room, and Ayame opened the book. She slowly began explaining the concepts to him, going over every little piece of information and then testing him before moving on. If Natsu ever had a question, she gave him a well explained answer. The longer they went on, the more interested Natsu got. Ayame made all these concepts seem so much easier.

For the first time in his life, Natsu was excited to learn.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

About a three weeks into his stay, Ayame decided that it was finally time for them to attach his metal arm. She didn’t do it in the room, however. Instead, she put him in a wheelchair, and rolled him into her workshop.

The workshop seemed like it was Ayame’s paradise. Almost every wall had a bookshelf that was stuffed to the brim with books, and a few others were stuffed with bottles filled with different liquids, herbs, and rocks.

There was a workbench that was covered in papers, pencils, several measuring tools, and even a scale. The wall above the workbench was plastered with several different blueprints. Next to the workbench was two large tables with several different vials and laboratory apparatus. 

There was a fireplace with a large cauldron hanging just outside it, it was scratched and had a few scuff marks but other than that looked perfectly polished. Hanging from the ceiling was several pieces of stained glass that reflected different colors all over the walls thanks to the window they were right by. 

Standing in the middle of the room (and looking quite out of place) was a cot, with a medium sized table that was the same size pressed against it. Sitting on the medium size table was a box of tools that was already open, the metal arm, another chunk of something metal, and a long, thick strip of leather.

After Natsu got a look at the room, Ayame pushed him over to the middle of the room. She helped him onto the bed, took off his shirt, and laid him down. It was then that Natsu noticed the table was on the right side of his body, where his arm was missing.

He turned his olive eyes to Ayame, who was putting on her apron and pulling her long hair into a ponytail. It was a sight Natsu had grown accustomed to, she always put her hair up when she was about to do some hard work.

“So, how long do you think this will take?” Natsu asked curiously.

Ayame had picked up the metal chunk, and was working on positioning it to match how his body was positioned. “Why?” She teasingly asked,”Got somewhere to be?”

Natsu snorted at her joke. “No, I’m just kinda tired considering you woke me up at sunrise to do this,” He responded.

“The early bird gets the worm, Natsu!” She declared,”Plus, I know you’ll probably need the rest of the day to get used to the arm and it’s better to get this over with in the morning. Especially this part.”

Natsu suddenly felt nervous. “What do you mean… This part?” He asked, eyeing the metal piece curiously. 

Ayame sighed, lowering the piece. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have saved this until the last second but I was worried about your reaction.”

That only made Natsu more nervous. But, Ayame continued before he could say anything else. 

“You have to understand, Natsu, the only reason I was able to save you is because of my magic. It’s an ancient spell that can only be passed down in a special way. With it, I am able to heal wounds down to cellular level. It’s only thanks to this you survived, otherwise you would have bled to death before I could get you to a hospital,” She explained. 

She then motioned to the metal piece. “This piece has to connect directly to your nerves, and then we can connect the arm which will work along with this piece to react like a real arm,” She explained,”But… In order to do that…”

Natsu, thanks to her lessons, quickly realized what she meant. His face turned extremely pale. “You.. You have to cut open the wound again,” He croaked. 

Ayame nodded grimly,”I can connect the nerves quickly, and then heal the rest of it, but I won’t be able to dull the pain or else I won’t be able to focus on the important part.” 

Natsu cringed, feeling slightly nauseous. But then, he shook it off. “Go ahead, do it,” He firmly,”We’ve come this far, I’m not going back now. Let’s get it over with.”

The woman didn’t seem surprised by his response, as a proud, knowing smile had climbed up onto her face. She nodded in determination and then turned, waving her hand. Sparkles of magic flowed off of it, creating a form of blue and red magic that slowly morphed into…

“A lion?” He asked curiously, watching the majestic creature take a seat next to Ayame. 

She nodded, picking up her toolbox. “The magic takes the form that best suits the holder of it,” She explained.

Ayame picked up the scalpel, it was sharp and gleamed in the light from the window. “On the count of three, okay?” She whispered, handing him the strip of leather. 

Natsu nodded, shoving the leather strip in between his teeth. He then shut his eyes tight, turning away.

“One…” Ayame began, and then all of a sudden a hot, blinding pain exploded through him. Natsu bit down hard on the leather strip, and screamed past it. His free hand clawed at the cot, leg thrashing.

Then, he felt a foreign magic swirl around the wound. He had hoped it would make it better, but when a cold metal pressed against the hot spot, he screamed again. He could feel the nerves and the muscles  _ moving,  _ connecting to the wires in the metal and connecting to his body. 

It was the most painful thing he’d ever felt, even worse than losing thelimbs. One by one, every nerve was being connected, and every single one felt like it took a hellish eternity. 

Then, a voice broke through the pain. “You’re doing great, we’re almost there… We’re almost done..” Ayame’s gentle voice whispered in his ear. 

Natsu whimpered in response, tears tumbling down his cheeks, limbs shaking, and chest heaving.

“Everything’s alright, it’s going to be okay…” She promised, her warm hand resting against his forehead.

That strange foreign power filled him again, and seemed to put weight on his eyelids. It only took a few seconds, but soon Natsu felt all the pain start to fade away along with his own consciousness.

— — — — — — 

When Natsu awoke the next morning, he felt kind of…. Strange. He forced his eyes open, turning his head to the right where the alarm was ringing. With a frustrated groan, he reached his arm out, slapping the old clock onto the ground.

The second the alarm stopped ringing, Natsu registered what he did. He turned his olive eyes up to look… And a steel, metallic hand greeted his vision.  _ It worked!! It worked!! _

All drowsiness melted away, and Natsu jerked up into a sitting position. Using his left hand, he felt and touched every single detail of his new arm. 

There was scarring that reached all the way to his left side, ending at a puff of scar tissue that met the metal that now formed most of his top right side, and completely made up his right pectoral and his right side up until his naval.

He then brought his hand back up, reaching the shoulder, and then going back down to the elbow. He slowly flexed his arm up and down, in completely awe at how normal the limb felt. 

Natsu finally reached the hand, and wiggled the fingers experimentally, spreading them out as far as they could. He then threaded his normal fingers with the metallic ones, olive eyes trapped at the sight of the contrast when everything felt perfect. 

The sight began to blur when tears started tumbling down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands.  _ Hands!  _ And let himself sob freely once again. 

Natsu’s sensitive ears then caught the sound of a door opening. He turned, seeing a relieved Ayame in the doorway. She looked over at his arm, whispering,”It works!”

The dragonslayer nodded excitedly. “It does!” He managed to sniffle out. 

Ayame smiled wide in return, and moved closer to him. As soon as she was close enough, Natsu pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face into her shoulder. “Thank you… Thank you so much!” He whispered.

Her arms wrap around him in return, and Natsu felt something in his heart. It was warm, and filled with him with joy and happiness. Ayame, she was like a mother to him, and one of the most amazing people he knew. 

And now, thanks to her handiwork, he could finally prove how much she meant to him. 

— — — — — — 

The older woman shoved aside some papers, rolling out the blueprint paper. The designs of the leg were a lot easier to understand now that Natsu had learned the material. 

Ayame pointed at the design, and Natsu leaned closer in the chair to listen to her. “So, this won’t be that difficult since it’s the same material as you arm, all we’ll have to do is make the skeletal frame a leg instead of an arm,” She explained.

“Skeletal frame?” Natsu asked, tilting his head curiously.

The woman turned back to him, looking surprised. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Ugh! Duh, Ayame!” She exclaimed,”I never did explain to you how these prosthetics work, did I?” 

Natsu shook his head, and calmly replied,”Well, I understand why. I was busy gaining weight back, and you were teaching me stuff! Hell, you’re still teaching me everything from those books, I wouldn’t have registered a single word if you tried to tell me a few weeks ago!” 

Ayame chuckled, nodding in agreement. “I suppose that is true,” She said,”But now, I’ll be able to explain to you what is actually going on in your arm and soon enough your leg!” The old woman poked the metal arm as she spoke.

The pinkette ignored the poking, and instead leaning forward to eagerly listen to her lecture. Noticing this, Ayame began her explanation.

“As you already know, it is linked directly to the nervous system, and can be moved at will like a natural appendage, taking electrical pulses from the nerves to power and regulate the various electric motors and pneumatic actuators inside,” She explained,”And part of the reason is because it’s made with a full steel skeletal frame layered with steel armor-plating to protect the various wires and intricate machinery inside.”

Natsu instantly caught on, gently slamming his metal fist into his palm. “Just like the skeleton, nerves, muscles, and tendons on a normal human!” He excitedly pointed out, proud that he could catch what she was saying.

“Correct!” Ayame exclaimed, and Natsu was unable to stop the pride that swelled up in his chest at her praise.

He looked back at the design, and noticed that there were separate drawings for each of the leg’s parts. He pointed at the first one, and asked,”So we are going to make the skeletal frame first?”

The woman nodded,”Yes we are. I’ll just need to gather some materials and we can start work right away, as long as you’re ready to of course.”

Natsu turned to her, a wide smile on his face. “Are you kidding? I was born ready!” He exclaimed.

Ayame returned his smile with one of her own, and returned her attention to the workbench; She pulled out some thick sheets of steel, some pencils, and a tape measure. Natsu was quick to roll over to the desk, eager to start working hard on their new project.

But before he did anything, he made sure to put his hair up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Please comment and kudos, it helps me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts :)
> 
> Next Chapter: Natsu and Ayame finish up his leg, and Natsu learns more about the new kingdom he now resides in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu walks once more, and goes with Ayame to run some errands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!
> 
> Enjoy!

— — — — — —

Several Months Later 

— — — — — —

“You ready Natsu?” Ayame asked, her hands gripping his as she stood in front of him. Even with her strong hold, it was easy to see how hard he was shaking. 

Why was he nervous? Well, because he was about to stand and walk again for the first time in almost half a year. 

After they had attached it (which, even though it used the same process as the arm did, seemed even more painful), Natsu had remained asleep for two days and then had been stuck in bed for a few more while Ayame made him practice lifting his leg leg, rolling the ankle, and wiggling the toes on it 

After the days of bed rest, she then made him work on extending the knee forward and back down. It was a little painful, but he knew it was due to the fact his body had to get used to the weight of a leg all over again.

But now, the time had finally come. The moment of truth.

He closed his olive eyes, forcing himself to take several long, deep breaths like Ayame had taught him to do whenever he felt like his emotions were becoming too much. 

When his heart slowed down a bit, he nodded his head several times. “I’m ready,” He firmly declared, squeezing her hands again to remind himself that she was there. 

“Okay,” Ayame replied,”We’ll start with just standing. If you need to, you can lean on me or the wall for support.”

Natsu nodded once more, and let Ayame make the first move. She pulled, and he placed all his weight on his right leg, slowly bringing the metal left foot onto the ground. He buckled a bit, but Ayame’s strong arms kept him from falling. Once his weight was distributed equally and the metal leg stopped shaking, he stood up tall.

“How does it feel? Is everything in place?” Ayame questioned. 

Natsu gave an affirmative noise. “Everything feels stable, the toes are angled correctly, and the weight is holding,” He quickly listed off. 

Ayame smiled towards him, looking proud at his how much he remembered, softly answering,”Good, very good. Want to try walking?”

The dragonslayer took a second to swallow the lump in his throat, and breathed out,”Yeah, let’s do it.”

“I’m going to take a few steps backwards, and I want you to follow after me,” She explained,”Make sure to distribute your weight properly.”

Natsu almost pulled her back, afraid of being too far away from the only person holding him up. Ayame was firm, however, and kept him at bay as she gently said,”It’s okay to be nervous; You can do this, I promise.”

Her words sent a stream of courage though his nerves (even the artificial ones), and he slowly moved his right foot forward as he normally would. Once it hit the floor, he slowly lifted his new metallic leg, and then froze. It wasn’t that he was scared, he was just completely unsure of what to do.

_ Ugh! This was so much easier with the arm! _ Natsu growled to himself. Why did that one come so naturally? He was about to give up, but he ran over the first time he used his arm in his head. His breath caught in his throat, suddenly realizing exactly what he had been doing wrong. When I first used the arm, I was half asleep. I wasn’t treating it like a new thing, I thought it was a real arm! That’s what I’m doing wrong! I just need to let nature take it’s course.

He closed his eyes, and imagined himself walking down the streets of Fiore, heading home after a good day of missions. Then, he let his body follow his mind. His new leg was heavier and kind of hurt at first, but other than that… It felt perfect.

“Ayame! I’m doing it!” He exclaimed, opening his eyes to look at her; But she wasn’t there, she was standing all the way on the other side of the room. Natsu quickly rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t being tricked by them, and then caught on to what happened. He had been walking all on his own.

The woman smiled wide with pride, but the mischief in her eyes told Natsu that she knew he had caught onto what she did. “See? I knew you could do it!” She praised.

Natsu’s own smile returned hers, and the room seemed to be brighter as their glee filled every empty space. Then, the dragonslayer let out a childish squeal.

“Oh my god!” He yelled,”I can’t believe this! I’m walking! I’m standing! I’m… I’m…” 

Unable to find the words, he simply went for actions. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Ayame tightly, just like he did when he used his new arm for the first time. 

Ayame stumbled back a bit, but quickly returned his warm embrace. Natsu didn’t bother to speak, he knew no amount of words could explain just how thankful he was for all she’d done for him. 

Hopefully, with time, he’d be able to show her. 

— — — — — — 

Natsu spent the next few hours simply enjoying his newfound freedom. He exploded every room upstairs, and even was finally able to come downstairs to eat food instead of relying on Ayame to bring him some. 

Downstairs, the rest of the house was just as cozy as it was upstairs. There was a nice mahogany table with four matching chairs that all had red cushions, and a long, red tablecloth over the middle of the tabletop which was seated right by a nice, large window that displayed the luscious green trees outside. 

The kitchen was a beautiful sight to behold, with dark brown cabinets and smooth birch colored countertops. The stove shined of a black metal, and a pan of eggs sat sizzling on the surface. Natsu felt his mouth water at the beautiful sight, and quickly asked,”Need any help?”   
  


Ayame smirked at him, her icy eyes turning to the pinkette. “Try not to sound too eager, Natsu,” She teased,”But, yes. I would like some help. Could you set the table?”

Natsu was more than happy to; Not only because he was hungry, but because it gave him the opportunity to use his new arm and leg more. Soon enough, the table was set and the two companion were eating a delicious breakfast.

“O, Natu,” Ayame said,”I was thinking, would you like to go out for a walk today? It could help your leg get used to new terrain, and I’ve been wanting to show you around town for quite a while.”

It wasn’t even a question to Natsu, his curiosity had been overflowing for a while now, and the idea of fresh air excited him. “I’d love to!” He replied, moving to get out of his chair.

Ayame didn’t move, slowly cutting her eggs. “Natsu, slow down,” She calmly said,”Patience is passion tamed.”

His face turned red, and he sheepishly slid back into his chair. “Sorry, Ayame,” He softly whispered. 

“Don’t apologize,” She responded,”You’re excited, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, especially considering what you’ve been through.”

Thankfully, Ayame finished her food soon after he did, and they headed out the door. Natsu kept ahold of Ayame’s hand, and followed her out of the door.

It took a moment for a Natsu to get used to the sunlight; Once he adjusted to it, he was finally able to see the outside world once more. It was breathtaking.

Ayame’s home was in a clearing surrounded by giant, red barked trees, their leaves were a luscious green that seemed to glimmer in the sun and their bark was shining and thick. In front of the house was a stone path that went horizontally on both sides towards the forest, and on the other side of the house, in the middle of the clearing, was a large river that followed the stone path into the forest as well. 

“Whoa…” Natsu whispered, turning to look at the outside of Ayame’s house. It was large, just like Natsu guessed, and around three stories tall. The first story was made of stone, and the stairs sat against the wall to get to the front door which lead to the second story (where Natsu and Ayame cake out of). 

The second story was made of the same wood as the sequoias that surrounded them, as was the third story. The roof was made of black slats, and complimented the wood nicely. Behind the house was a barn building with the same roof and barn doors. The entire house was surrounded by a fence made of the same stone as the first story of the house, with an iron gate at the front. 

“It’s beautiful!” Natsu exclaimed, looking back at the lake in awe. “I can’t believe you live here, a-and you have this all to yourself!”

Ayame chuckled, seemingly amused by his words. “Well, I wouldn’t say I live here all by myself,” She said,”I have the goats, the cow, the chickens, and Farley.”

“Farley?” Natsu asked curiously, realizing that the building behind the house was indeed the barn based on Ayame’s animals.

The old woman smiled, motioning for Natsu to follow him; He did so, going to the backyard with her. It was very large, and Natsu could see the animals she mentioned wandering around. He saw three chickens, a cow, and two goats wandering around freely.

“So you’re a part time farmer?” He asked teasingly.

Ayame chuckled, crossing her arms. “Well I have to have some reason to get these old bones outside, Don’t I?” She responded, reaching the entrance of the barn. “Farley!” Ayame called, clicking her tongue and walking inside. 

Natsu heard the clip-clop of what sounded like hooves, and a large horse ran up to Ayame. They had white fur, which had black spots around the legs and face, and the muzzle slowly faded to black as well. It’s hair and tail were a silver color, much like Ayame’s. 

Farley nuzzled against Ayame, who began rubbing the horse’s snout. “Hey girl! I have someone I want you to meet!” She said, motioning for Natsu to come closer.

Slowly, Natsu held out his normal hand. The horse stared at him silently for several seconds, and then ignored Natsu’s hand completely; She nuzzled against his neck, making the pinkette squeal in surprise.

He smiled, suddenly feeling excited by the creature’s acceptance. He made sure to pet Farley the same way Ayame did, and softly said,”Hey girl! It’s nice to meet you!” 

Ayame watched the scene with a strange look in her eye before softly saying,”She usually never lets people touch her…”

Natsu was surprised by her admittance and looked back at Farley, who nuzzled against him further and let out a soft nicker. Natsu quickly began petting her head again. 

“Well,” He gently replied,”I’m glad she likes me at least!” 

Ayame smiled back, before turning her eyes to look outside. Natsu noticed that she seemed to be thinking hard about something inside that brilliant mind. Natsu wondered what it could possibly be. 

— — — — — —

Eventually, they took the stone path down to the town. It was about a fifteen minute walk which left Natsu feeling a little winded, as it was the most exercise he had gotten in half a year. 

The town was extremely beautiful too, almost as breathtaking as Ayame’s home. The trees not only surrounded the town, but was a part of it as well. 

There were houses built into the trees and around them, nearly blending into the trees since they were made of the same bark. There was a stone path throughout the town, and Natsu noticed that all of the buildings were held off the ground several feet by stone supports. 

The beautiful river went right through the middle of the village, so there were a few bridges along the river as well. The dragonslayer looked from the houses to the large river, and then something occurred to him.

“Hey…” Natsu softly asked,”Are the houses raised and built into the trees in case the river floods?” 

Ayame smiled at him. “Correct!” She declared,”Very good observation, Natsu.”

The dragonslayer beamed with pride, his eyes glowing brightly. He turned back to look at the village. Sure enough, there were stairs that led not only to the doors on the raised houses, but to the buildings on the trees. He also saw several bridges connecting trees to trees, so people didn’t have to go down to the ground to reach homes in other trees.

Homes weren’t the only things in the town. There were several shops which included a pub, a blacksmith, a garden shop, a hotel, and a small hospital (to name a few). He saw, in the town square, several small stands or wagons with people selling different items. 

But the town’s attention wasn’t on any of the things he had seen, instead all their attention was on him and Ayame.

People and children were staring at them, whispering in what was either fear or excitement. Natsu frowned, unsure how he felt about all the attention. 

“Umm… Ayame?” He asked nervously, not explaining any further. He knew Ayame had noticed what he had seen. 

Ayame kept walking, and calmly declared,”I’ve neglected to share some information with you, Natsu. I’m not just another villager, although I’m sure you guessed that long ago. I’m the royal alchemist of the kingdom.”

“ _ Royal!?”  _ Natsu whispered, looking at her in surprise. She was right, he had guessed she wasn’t just some civilian, but he didn’t expect her to be nobility.  _ She sure doesn’t act like nobility!! But at least now I know why people are staring.. _

The old woman nodded to his question, and calmly said,”Don’t worry about them, they’re just curious. Everyone in this town knows each other very well, but I’ve been staying away while caring for you and they’ve never seen you before. They’ll warm up quickly.” 

Natsu took her words to heart, as she had never lied to him before; he took a deep breath, and followed her up to the blacksmith’s shop. 

Inside the shop there was a big, burly man with dark skin and dreadlocks in a ponytail hammering a piece of metal, he wore a black apron and red clothing. Nearby was a young, tan girl with a notepad, watching his every move and taking notes. 

Ayame knocked on the side of the door, catching the blacksmith’s attention. He turned his golden eyes towards her, and smiled at the sight. “Ayame! Good to see you!” He exclaimed in a deep, baritone voice. 

He hugged her tightly, yet gently, and then noticed Natsu. “Oh? And who is this?” He asked curiously. 

“N-Natsu Dragneel, Sir,” The dragonslayer managed to force out of his throat, unsure why he was suddenly so anxious. 

Ayame pulled away from the hug, noticing Natsu’s nervousness. She grabbed his metal arm, pushing the sleeve away, and holding it up. “Remember when I ordered that metal from you? This is who it was for,” She explained. 

The man gasped in awe, reaching out towards the arm. “Amazing! Such craftsmanship, Ayame!” He whispered, looking towards Natsu. “May I?”

Natsu nodded slowly, reaching the metal hand out and letting the calloused hand examine the grooves, bolts, and every other part of his arm. He even grabbed the fingers and moved them, making shocked noises with every flex. 

“Incredible! Sensational!” The man exclaimed,”Ayame, you’ve really outdone yourself this time!”

“Well, it wasn’t just me, Makera,” Ayame admitted,”Natsu was a big help, he even helped build his new leg!”

Makera gasped. “Leg!?” He exclaimed, letting go of the hand and grabbing the metal leg, and lifting it to his height. Natsu cried out in surprise, falling back against Ayame who managed to catch him from behind.

“Amazing!” Makera repeated,”Sensational! And even the toes are moving! How did you manage to make it so lifelike?” 

Natsu answered this time,”They’re connected directly to my nerves, and so they get signals like my real limbs do!” 

Makera seemed surprised by Natsu’s expertise on the mechanical limbs, and gently put his leg down. He looked back at the girl with the notebook, and then back at them. “You know quite a lot about this. Are you Ayame’s apprentice?” He asked, gasping and looking at Ayame with excitement. “Did you finally choose an apprentice!?”

Natsu tilted his head in confusion, looking back at Ayame. “What’s an apprentice?” He asked the older woman. 

“I’ll explain along the way, we have errands to run,” Ayame quickly said, grabbing Natsu’s normal hand and waving goodbye to Makera. “See you later!”

Natsu allowed himself to be dragged away from the blacksmith store, gathering his courage. “Um… What’s an apprentice?” He asked again. 

“An apprentice is someone who is learning a trade or skill from a master of that trade or skill,” Ayame explained bluntly,”That’s it.”

The dragonslayer frowned, seeing through her blunt facade. “Based on Makera’s reaction, it seems like there’s more to it than that,” He deduced. 

Ayame sighed, moving to the garden shop and grabbing a paper and pencil from her pocket. “You’re correct,” She admitted,”Here, in our country, apprenticeship is a big deal. But, an apprenticeship is even more serious when it comes to the royal like me.” 

She began writing something out on the paper. “You see, people like me serve the king and queen directly, as well as doing our own projects,” She explained,”Once we die, our apprentices will take over. It is a huge job to be responsible for, and a lot to learn. A lot of people can’t do it.” 

She continued through the store, and Natsu followed her as the puzzle pieces began to fall together. “And you’re the royal alchemist, a job that involves tons of different sciences and engineering,” He said,”So… Finding an apprentice is difficult for you.”

“Exactly!” Ayame exclaimed, seemingly relieved that someone understood. “I’ve been Royal alchemist for forty years and yet I can’t find  _ anyone  _ in this country I could count on to be my apprentice! I can’t just have a simple student! I need someone stubborn, someone willing to learn, someone who doesn’t let supposed limits hold them back, someone-“ 

Then, she stopped. Her icy eyes widened, turning to look back at Natsu blankly. The paper slipped out of her hands because she had become so concentrated on whatever she was thinking of. 

Growing uncomfortable, the dragonslayer slowly waved a hand in front of her face. “Uh… Ayame? Are you okay?” He nervously asked. 

His voice seemed to snap Ayame out of her stupor. She shook her head, blinking rapidly, and noticing what she did. She then knelt down, grabbed the paper, and quickly said,”C’mon, let’s finish our errands.”

Natsu, once again, followed after her. But he wasn’t focusing on the shopping, he was more focused on trying to understand what made Ayame freeze up in such a way.

— — — — — —

Later, in the late of night, Natsu sat slumped over on his desk, illuminated only by the desk lamp. He flicked his pencil forward, letting it roll back towards him before he flicked it again. 

He sighed, mind wandering easily.  _ Poor Ayame… She’s been looking for an apprentice for so long, and she just can’t find one. I mean, I’m not surprised, how many people could be willing to learn that much?  _

The pencil clinked against his metal finger, and Natsu didn’t flick it again. Instead, he thought some more.  _ Maybe I could…?  _ He frowned, shaking his head.  _ No… No, she’d never choose someone like me. I couldn’t even save my own guild, what good would I be as an apprentice for something that important?  _

He sighed sadly, his dark thoughts seeming to infect his whole being. He turned his olive eyes to the corner of his desk, noticing the book he had left against it. 

Natsu sat up, bringing the book closer and reading the cover. “Alchemy Through The Ages..” He whispered. 

His sad thoughts were overwhelmed by the curiosity that seemed to always be with him. A smile climbed up his face, determination returning.  _ Even if she wouldn’t choose me, why should that stop my from learning more? _

With that in mind, Natsu returned to the page he left off on, and continued to expand his mind with the knowledge within. 

— — — — — 

Unknown to the dragonslayer, someone was watching his actions nearby. 

Through the crack in the door, Ayame watched as those emotions flew across his face. The pride that swelled in her heart when he reopened the book was indescribable. 

_ Just a few months ago he needed to ask me what everything meant…  _ She thought.  _ And now he’s speeding through books like those in only a few days.  _

Ayame slowly backed away, returning to her workshop. She examined all the equipment, all the potions, all the blueprints, all the things she had never had a chance to teach someone… Until today.

“I’ve found him,” She declared,”I’ve finally found my apprentice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Natsu and Ayame go to an event


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu goes to a ball, then writes a letter.

Natsu could barely keep his jaw from dropping in awe as their carriage pulled into the entrance of the most luxurious castle he had ever seen. 

The large brick pathway that their carriage traveled on led up to a castle was lined with rose bushes that displayed many different colors. The actual castle had to be at least five stories tall. The castle walls and the wall surrounding it were a shining white color, while the roofs were teal and in a gable style. The windows all glowed with the lights from inside and illuminated the many cherry trees that surrounded the wall.

“Whoa…” Natsu whispered, looking over to Ayame with excitement in his eyes. The old woman smiled back, and then returned to fixing her hair. The dragonslayer quickly got up and sat on her side, helping her finish braiding the front of her gray hair. 

They were both dressed in very fancy clothes. Ayame was wearing a floor length black ball gown that was sleeveless and lined with white. Around the waist was a white fabric wrapped around and tied into a bow in the back and black gloves that went to her elbows to match.

Natsu’s outfit consisted of a poet’s shirt with large frills on the front and the edges of sleeves, and over that was a suit jacket that was a black lined with white just like Ayame’s dress and that went to his waist, and matching suit pants and dress shoes. His now shoulder length hair was in a high ponytail held by a black ribbon.

“I never thought I would see you wear something so fancy,” Natsu teased as he moved back to his own side of the carriage, tugging at the frills on his sleeves.

Ayame laughed, waving her hand at him dismissively. “This isn’t just  _ any _ ball, it’s quite a special occasion, Natsu,” She told him,”The royal family and all my colleagues will be here, we have to dress to impress.”

Yes, Natsu was going to a royal ball. He hadn’t planned on it; Ayame had simply barged into his room one day and threw a suitcase on his bed, ordering him to pack for the trip. He had to admit it, he was extremely nervous. Natsu wasn’t blind to the fact he was an outsider in this land… What if they didn’t like him?

As the carriage came to a stop, he felt his heart speed up a little more. “I-I just don’t know why you wanted me to come,” He stuttered out,”There really is no reason for me to be here…”

Ayame, of course, didn’t give him a straight answer. She merely smiled at him and declared,”There is a reason, you’ll find out soon enough.”

She got to her feet just as the door was opened, and the footmen greeted them. They took Ayame’s hand with a smile and helped her step out of the carriage, Natsu quickly followed after her. Although Natsu was trying to keep his focus on Ayame, he wasn’t blind to the curious stares he received from the footmen.

They walked through the large doors of the castle and were taken right into the grand ballroom. Natsu once again had to stop his jaw from dropping in awe, and made sure to take it all in as fast as he could.

The room had to be at least fifty feet long and just as wide. The floors were black and white checkered pattern and the walls were white just like the castle’s exterior. The arch windows were in the middle of the walls and showed the beautiful sunset outside. At the end of thee room were two sets of staircases that were white with siena wood railing, but with a long red rug going all the way up on both sides and the upstairs was visible to all. There was a large chandelier above, which shined due to the hundreds of crystals it was made of.

There were tables of food on the left side, making Natsu’s stomach growl as he hadn’t eaten all day. Near the middle in between the staircases, was a small band that was playing; their music was upbeat and happy, and had many people dressed similarly to Natsu and Ayame dancing in the middle of the room.

The dragonslayer jumped when he felt someone nudge him, and quickly whipped around to face who it was. Ayame chuckled at his reaction, and then motioned back to the room. “Why are you just standing here?” She questioned,”Go mingle, have fun! I’ll be back in a moment.”

Ayame then went past him, and up the stairs and out of sight. Natsu watched her go, and then examined the room once more. To his relief, by the food table he saw someone that he recognized. Makera was by the bowl of what looked like wine, chatting excitedly with a couple other people. After their initial meeting Natsu learned that Makera was the royal blacksmith, so he wasn’t surprised to see him or his apprentice at the ball.

Sure enough, a few feet away nibbling on some shrimp, was the tan girl who Natsu had come to learn was Makera’s apprentice, Maleah. She was wearing a long red dress that reached the floor and hugged her figure, and some matching gloves. Decorating her hair was a crown of red and white flowers, she seemed to shine in the room.

Natsu made his way over to her, giving a small greeting. “Hey, Maleah,” He said, grabbing himself some of the spread of shrimp as well. 

Maleah smiled towards him, shuffling whispered,”Hey, Natsu. How are you liking the party so far?”

“Eh, it’s okay,” Natsu said with a shrug. “I don’t even know why Ayame brought me here, but I have to say, the food is pretty good.” 

Maleah giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Yeah, the food is pretty good,” She said,”But I have no idea what else I would do anyways. I didn’t even want to come, but the masters and apprentices have to go.”

Natsu hummed, shoving a few more pieces of shrimp in his mouth. “So I guess they get boring after a while?” He asked. 

“Oh I wouldn’t know very well, this is actually my second one,” She admitted,”I’ve only been Makera’s apprentice for about a year and a half now. I was announced as his apprentice at the last one, and it’s such a big event so I was more anxious about that the whole time.” 

Natsu gave her a nod of understanding. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that now!” He exclaimed,”It already happened, so you can enjoy this one!”

Maleah’s brown eyes filled with glee, and she put down her plate. “You know what, you’re right!!” She said excitedly. 

The dragonslayer was glad to see she was feeling better, and then held his hand out. “If that’s the case, would you care to dance?” He asked with a playful voice. 

The girl’s tan skin grew a light shade of pink over her cheeks. “I’d be honored, Natsu,” She declared back, taking his hand. 

They moved to the middle of the dance floor together. Natsu placed his hand on her waist, while she took her hand and intertwined it with his other free hand. Her hand then lifted the side of her dress like the other dancing women were. 

The two glided across the dance floor along with the music, simply laughing and enjoying each other’s company as the ball went on. 

Natsu had no idea how long they danced, he was having so much fun that he wasn’t paying attention to the time that passed by. 

Eventually, the music stopped and so did the dancing. Maleah finished their dance and gave him a smile. “Thank you for the dance, Natsu,” She said, pulling one of the white flowers from her crown and then slipping it into Natsu’s hair. She then turned and hurried to Makera’s side. 

Natsu returned to Ayame, grinning ear to ear. The woman looked at him, a smirk of her own on her face. She placed her hands on her hips, and raised her eyebrows. 

The dragonslayer noticed her look and frowned. “What?” He questioned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Nice flower,” Ayame stated, as the grin returned to her face. 

Natsu’s eyes widened, a blush overcoming his face. He quickly turned away from her and muttered,”Sh-shut up.” 

The old woman laughed, but she was cut off as a trumpet rang through the room. The chatter and bustle in the room stopped, as everyone turned their attention to the end of the room. A man came into view at the railing of the second story, in between the two staircases.

He cleared his throat, and then yelled,”Announcing the arrival of our devoted rulers. King Chamberlain and Queen Kira, along with their daughter, Princess Jen!” 

The room erupted in applause as from the rightmost staircase emerged the royal family. The king was a tall man with a clean shaven face and curly black hair that was tied back in a ponytail over his shoulder, and a golden crown atop his head. He wore a long green cape that matched with his royal attire underneath. 

The queen had straight pink hair that was pulled up in a fancy bun with a matching crown. Her dress was light blue and filled with ruffles, and she had white gloves and necklaces to match.

The princess was a little girl who could only be three. She had her father’s dark hair color but her mother’s straight hair and wide brown eyes. Her outfit was much simpler, a simple green dress with a smaller version of the family’s crown. 

They came all the way down the staircase, and the king raised his hand to stop the commotion. 

“My friends and colleagues,” He began,”We are pleased that you were all able to join us on this gracious night. And although I know you all have many things you’d like to share, I first want to start off with my own announcement. The kingdom of Agurah has grown even larger thanks to all your devotion to it, and I thank you all for your hard work.” 

A small applause went through the room, and the many masters around it beamed with pride. 

The queen then stepped forward, and the King stepped back and took hold of their daughter. “We hope to continue letting our country grow and keep all our civilians happy and safe, and we hope you all will keep up with your hard work! We could never have grown so strong without you all!” She declared, her voice ringing through the air like a bell. 

Another small applause rang through the room before the king and queen smiled towards each other. 

“We would now like to turn our attention to our Royal Court,” The king declared,”It is your time to shine. Share your achievements, both known and unknown, and tell us what else you have been working on. Any announcements you’d like to make are welcome.” 

The announcer returned once more, and began calling up members of the Royal Court. As Natsu soon discovered, the royal court was made up of many people with different expertise. There was a Royal seamstress, a Royal herbalist, a Royal linguist, and many more. 

The announcements were quite ranged, but Natsu found himself interested in all of them. Some reported on new projects they had finished, and how soon they would be available to the public. Others spoke about their new discoveries and what they thought would be possible with them. And one even announced a new apprentice. 

Natsu knew that was very rare, since an apprentice was usually chosen to take over after the old one died and were trained for many years before that. So, when the royal historian announced their apprentice, the room exploded with celebration.

The apprentice joined the historian in front of the king and queen and then began to make an oath. As they did, the room seemed to begin to pulse with magic; Magic that Natsu had never felt before. 

“What are they doing?” Natsu questioned as quietly as he could. 

“The oath is one of powerful magic,” Ayame whispered back. “It bonds the apprenticeship, and gives the master the ability to share their power with their apprentice. Each master has a special ability, one of ancient magic that will be passed down from one to the next after they pass.”

Soon, the oath was finished, and a seal swirled around the Royal Historian and their apprentice’s hands, completely sealing their apprenticeship. The room exploded with cheers again, and a few more members of the royal court went up. 

Then, the announcer boomed,”Our next member of the Royal Court is Ayame Dantes, the Royal Alchemist of Augurah!”

The claps were much more firm as Ayame made her way to the front of the room. Natsu was still amazed at how the woman could command respect from dozens of people at once. 

When she got to the front of the room, Ayame waited for a moment for the applause to stop before she spoke. “My work on prosthetics has progressed very much,” She began,”I predict that I will be have the necessary tools to provide them at reasonable costs to the public within the next ten years.” 

A cheerful clap went through the room, and Natsu couldn’t stop himself from clapping as well. After all, he was using the very thing Ayame had talked about. 

Then, a smile emerged on the woman’s face. “Of course, my research and the progress I’ve made would never have been possible without the help I’ve gotten,” She said,”And that is why I finally have a major announcement. I have chosen my apprentice.” 

Natsu’s eyes widened, and many gasps of shock and awe went through the room along with whispers. People began looking all over the room, frantically searching for the person that Ayame was speaking for. Natsu looked with them, wondering who she could have chosen. 

Then, she pointed. “Natsu Dragneel,” She declared,”Please step forward.” 

The dragonslayer felt his throat go dry, his heart pounding, and blood rushing past his ears as all eyes in the room turn towards him. Every step forward felt like a mile, every second felt like an hour, until he finally reached Ayame. 

“Natsu,” She began,”In the months I have know you, you have shown me how you strive to become stronger and learn more, how you are kind and willing to accept judgement, and most importantly, that you don’t let any limits stand in your way. Would you give me the honor teaching you, training you, and having you as my apprentice?” 

Natsu knew very well that what Ayame was saying was the oath. If he said yes, he’d take on a responsibility much bigger than anything he had ever done before. He would be tied to this land in one of the strongest ways… But, for some reason Natsu wasn’t afraid. It almost felt like this was what he was meant to do all along. 

A smile came over his face, and the fire within him seemed to glow brighter with determination as he took Ayame’s outstretched hand. “I accept your apprenticeship, Ayame,” He replied. 

A strong and powerful magic flew through every nerve and cell in Natsu’s body, it was so strong that he nearly fell over. But as soon as it settled within him, Natsu knew he had made the right choice. 

The room erupted in cheers mouth louder than ever before, but they didn’t matter to Natsu. What mattered was Ayame, and the prideful smile she was giving him. 

_ I’m an apprentice.  _ Natsu realized, and that made him tear up all over again. Unable to control himself, Natsu pulled Ayame into another hug. 

“I’ll make you proud, master!” He declared, his arms tight around her. 

Ayame’s arms wrapped around him just as tightly. “I know you will, apprentice.” 

— — — — — —

As soon as they got back to home, Natsu practically leapt onto his desk. He grabbed his pen and some parchment paper and began to scribble out a latter. 

_ Dear Fairy Tail,  _

He couldn’t wait to tell them! Oh, they were going to be so excited! He couldn’t wait to tell them everything! 

But then, Natsu’s hand froze. He couldn’t write on, he couldn’t figure out any other words to say.  _ What do I say? What do I say?  _

He stared at the paper for what felt like hours, but he couldn’t get the pen to move. Then, he growled, and forced himself to write. 

_ Sorry I abandoned you guys-  _

No! That’s not what he meant to write! How did that end up on the paper!? He quickly scribbled it out. 

_ I’m sorry that I haven’t spoken in a while. I was too busy getting my friends killed and forgetting about them-  _

Natsu gasped again, and grabbed the paper. He tore it into six pieces, crumbled them up, and threw them in the trash can.  _ Why do I keep writing that? That’s not what I mean!  _

He grabbed a new paper and positioned his pen, taking several deep breaths as he did. “Okay, take it slow this time,” He began.

_ Dear Fairy Tail, I’m sorry- _

“And what makes you think we even  _ want  _ a letter from you?” A voice sneered. 

Natsu jolted out of his chair and whipped around. Standing in the middle of his room was none other than Romeo. 

His heart began pounding, and he frantically tried to calm the situation. “It’s just… It’s been so long and I never reached out to you- I’m doing much better now and-“ 

“Do you think we care?!” Another familiar voice snapped, and Natsu turned towards his door and found Jet and Droy standing there. 

The dragonslayer felt like he was going to start panicking. “B-But Jet, we’re guild mates! We’re family…” He meekly whispered. 

“You’re not one of us, you don’t even have our mark anymore!” Jet fires back, motioning to Natsu’s bare metal arm. 

Droy then snarled at him. “Besides, our family doesn’t have room for murderers,” He declared. 

Natsu felt his heart constrict, and it suddenly felt hard to breath. Images flashed across his head of his friends, his family burning in Acnologia’s blast, Happy and Carla clutching to each other desperately, Gray on the ground unmoving, Ezra’s burned armor all that was left, and a burnt corpse of Lucy staring right at him. 

“Why did you let us die, Natsu!?” She cried,”Why did you get to live?! You’re selfish and stupid, if you are so good at protecting your family, then why did you let us die!?” 

The tears tumbled down his cheeks as he desperately reached out to her. “Lucy!” He cried,”I tried, I really did! I wanted us to all make it out, I never meant to-“ 

“You should have tried harder!” Makarov’s voice echoed, but on the remains of Tenrou that Natsu now stood on, the only sign of the old man was his torn clothes. “You are a disgrace to Fairy Tail, I should have never let you in.” 

Natsu broke out into sobs, clutching at his hair and falling to his knees. “I can fix it!” He cried,”I’ll help everyone else! I’ll give everything to the guild! I’ll- I’ll.”

“Don’t bother,” Romeo sneered, and Natsu realized he was on his feet outside of the Fairy Tail guild hall. 

Macao and Wakaba stood in front of the open doors, staring down at Natsu in disgust. “You were too selfish to save our family and too selfish to come back and face the consequences of your actions,” He sneered,”Just stay away, we don’t need a monster like you here.” They each grabbed a door, and began to pull them closed. 

“NO!” Natsu cried,”Guys! Please! Wait!” He got to his feet and tried to run for the door, but they slammed shut with a resounding thud. 

Suddenly, Natsu’s eyes snapped open once more. He took huge gulps of breath, looking around frantically. He was… Back in his room. The pencil was still in his hand, and there was a paper in front of him. 

Tears had stained the words, barley any of it was legible. All he could see was two simple words:  _ I’m sorry.  _

The dragonslayer sniffed, wiping his eyes clear of the tears they held, throwing the pencil down, and sweeping the papers off the desk. 

He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands and sobbing quietly to himself.  _ They’re right… I am a monster. If it wasn’t for me, everyone would still be alive…  _

Natsu looked back down at the unfinished letter for several minutes before he leaned down, picked it up, and tore it into pieces.

_ It’s better if I stay away… They’re better off without me…  _


End file.
